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University of StirlingTSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > University of Stirling
 The University of Stirling is a university situated in the outskirts of Stirling, Scotland. The university was created in 1967 after the Robbins Report. The main campus at Stirling is about 3 miles out of Stirling city centre. There are additional small campuses in Inverness and Stornoway for nursing and midwifery students. FacilitiesHealth and WelfareThe local doctors and dentists surgery are on campus and called Airthrey Medical Centre. It is used by the locals as well as students, but although the services may not be the best, the staff and nurses are very friendly. It is located across and up the hill from Murray Hall, next to Geddes Court and directly across from AKD (and only a short walk from ASH and Ally Court), so it's in a really good location for students living on-campus. It is a requirement in your first year that you register with a local doctor, and pretty much everyone registers with Airthrey Park. Also, if you're unfamiliar with the system, everything is covered by the NHS - you do not need to pay for appointments. There is counselling and support available and widely accessible on campus, as well. LibraryThe new library has just recently opened opposite the Fast Food bar in the Atrium. The new library is on four floors and also contains the Information Services Helpdesk on the main floor. All texts can be ordered via the library catalogue page on the student portal. All of the journal publications are also kept in the library, as well as space for studying and help if you need it. ShopsThe new campus supermarket opened around the same time as the library. It's open from 8am to midnight, so students pop in throughout the day to get food and drinks or for their weekly shopping. There's a wide selection of fresh food which makes it a popular choice amongst students during both lunchtime and dinnertime. Comes in very handy to get drinks before a night out or a night in. There's plenty of variety in terms of choice and it is great value for money in terms of convenience. There is also a newsagents in the Atrium which is open weekdays from 8 in the morning until 6 at night - they have bottles of juice and sweets. They also do cigarettes and phone top ups. Also avaliable in the Atrium is a travel agents (Unicorn) and a bookshop which stocks all your textbook needs at RRP. There is also the union shop which sells University merchandise such as hoodies, stationery and notepads. There's a Tesco, Morrisons and a Sainsbury's in town and a Co-op in Bridge of Allan. If you want to go to a proper supermarket, there is a large ASDA in Alloa which is ten minutes away by car. For leisure shopping, the Thistle's centre can handle most of your needs. While most of the shops are not massive, you can get a basic wardrobe easily. Expect to see most of your usual chain shops including WHSmith, Topshop, New Look, Superdrug, Boots, Primark, HMV, Marks & Spencer, H&M, La Senza and loads of others. RestaurantsOn the campus itself, there is a fast-food bar for chips, baguettes and burgers. Just along from the fast-food bar is a sandwich shop. For a cafe like experience, there's Haldane's for a nice dinner, the Stir Café for a quick bite, and Studio does decent meals. In Bridge of Allan there are a couple nice places, including the Westerton Arms, which is a popular pub for special dinners out, romantic meals or even just getting away from students for a little while (trust me - you'll want to). Clive Ramsay's is supposed to be good, as well. Corrieri's Café, in Causewayhead, is really unpretentious and delicious. It's more of a family restaurant, but for good Italian food it doesn't get any better. In Stirling there are plenty of fast food places, but one nicer restaurant that does great student deals is Dr. Gorman's. They do two-for-ones on starters, mains and desserts, as well as brilliant cocktails, in a really modern, relaxed and funky setting (they have a Wii you can play with while you're waiting for your food, and a jukebox that's free until around 5). There are also plenty of nice Indian places (steer clear of the dodgy ones that leave menus in halls if you're looking for a nice meal out - a few to try are Indian Cottage and India Brasserie), and if you really want a nice meal in a pretty restaurant with no students in sight, try the Portcullis, up near the castle. No. 2 Baker Street, a nice pub across from Sportster's, does good, cheap pub grub and you'll be surrounded by locals. Sportster's also does yummy food but it's a bit more expensive. For ordering in, there is always Domino's, they hand out two-for-one vouchers during Fresher's Week, and it's always buy 1 get 1 free on Tuesdays, which can be a cheap dinner if you have a few people chipping in. BankingThere's a Bank of Scotland/Halifax on campus. There's also a Royal Bank of Scotland in Bridge of Allan, about a mile or so down the road from campus. In Stirling itself, there is a Lloyd's TSB, a Bank of Scotland (open on Saturdays until 3), Barclays, HSBC and a Royal Bank of Scotland. Transport'First' buses have special purple and blue Uni-link buses (easier to spot but you can use any of the first buses which have Uni written on the side IF they're actually running there, ask first though) and the union also runs a couple of minibuses which do the same trip. You can get a bus from the bus-stop near the MacRobert centre and from the bus stop near the checkpoints you drive through when your parents drop you off at the Uni. Buses are running all the time, so during the day (8:30am until 6pm) you normally don't have to wait more then 10 minutes for the next one to get there. After 6pm, the Uni-link bus goes to Alexander Court so you don't have to walk far to get home at 1 in the morning! Buses which will take you from town to uni include the UL, 63, 54 (54a, but it goes through Bridge of Allan first) and the 58. Some others will also take you into town, but it's best to check with the driver if you're unsure. There are buses also run late into the night although these are more expensive. It's 90p for a single, £1.50 for a return and £7 for a weekly pass from the uni to the city as of time of writing. You can also get a 4 week pass for £20 (September 2010). Try and use change for your smaller fares - bus drivers can get cranky and it speeds up bus queues. To get the above fares you will likely be asked to show your student ID card - some drivers are much stricter than others. No student card, no student fare - it's about £1.90 single each way without your student card. As a first year you will not be allowed a parking permit for the campus except in extreme circumstances. You can park without one, but it is likely you will be cautioned (they stick a bright yellow sticker on your window, but it's easy to take off with a bit of water. When this happens they take a note of your car's registration number. While I personally have never known anyone who has been banned from campus, it's not something to chance). Once teaching ends (and during mid term breaks), parking permits do not need to be displayed. You also do not need a permit if you are driving to the medical centre or residential services office, though you may chance upon a porter in a bad mood and be forced to three point turn your way back down the road. To get back into the University using a taxi, it's usually £8 from the city centre to halls, but can be up to about £13 if you hit time and a half later in the evening. Only get into taxis in licensed pick up points, which in town are outside of Fubar and the train station. Taxis also park outside of Dusk, but this is a take at your own risk area. If you fancy leaving Stirling for the weekend, there is a train station right in the City Centre and fares are pretty decent with a railcard. Careers serviceStirling has a Careers Development Centre that offers plenty of careers advice from mock job interviews, to an abundance of information. They also run drop-in sessions between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Friday. Part-time jobsHa! There is the jobshop which helps you get a job, which regularly updates with numerous openings ranging from mystery shoppers to hotel staff! Religious facilitiesThere is a Chaplaincy in the Atrium, right next to the Student Union, and they provide all sorts of religious and pastoral services. It's a nice, quiet place to go, and although it's predominantly Christian, they also provide for other religions as well. The Christian Union is a popular campus society, as is the Christians in Sport group. As well as a Christian Union there is also a Pagan Society and Islamic Society. The Chaplaincy does a Catholic Mass on Wednesday evenings. There are several churches in town, including a Baptist church, and in Dunblane (a ten minute drive) there is a beautiful Church of Scotland cathedral for Sunday services. University of Stirling Current Discussions
Social LifeFreshers' week can be good it just depends on the things they have on. Most places in town and at The Red Room (the club just outside campus) will be absolutely heaving so wherever you decide to go go early, normal Uni nights don't apply in Freshers' week as everywhere is as busy as the next but general rule is:
Be warned, though, Friday and Saturday are not good student nights, and you'll hardly find anyone out. It's when all the local schoolkids head out. Fubar on a Thursday is huge, but Dusk does £1 entry tokens and £1 drinks in the last hour and it's usually really busy as well. Get a vip pass from someone in sports team. The sports team get the money and you get to goto dusk for a quid! Also, there is usually people floating about the atrium with passes getting you to buy one, q jump and cheaper entry, always good if you know you are going out. There are plenty of people around who are loyal to one or the other, but some hit both on the same night, as they're only a five minute walk apart. There are usually nights on in the union as well but again it can be touch and go, there were 10 days of stuff last year and there were some good nights. They will be pretty well publicised so you won't miss out, but they sell out pretty quickly and there is usually a queue in the Atrium to buy tickets on the day of a big event. Bars, Pubs and clubsPopular bars in town are The Corn Exchange (previously Pivo's), Sportsters, the City Walls (although they don't appreciate students very much), and Outback, which are all under a 5 minute walk from the town center. The Corn Exchange is right up the road from the City Walls, and in the other direction is Sportsters, No. 2 Baker Street (much more of a local pub than a student bar), and Drouthy Neebors, which is a funky place that does a good pub quiz. Outback is in the other direction, and is right across the road from Dr. Gorman's, which does good food and cocktail deals. Cape (next door to The Corn Exchange) does £1.50 drinks from Monday to Thursday including pints of Fosters and VK. Mixers for your £1.50 spirits are extra. There are many more pubs in Stirling and it's best to just try a new one if you find your current hole in the wall isn't suiting you. Bridge of Allan now has Eva which is a trendy night club underneath a hotel. It's a bit more expensive than Fubar and the others and a lot smaller but it is really nice inside and usually a good night out. 5 minutes from campus in a taxi. EventsA good place to start is Stirling's website, instirling.com. This contains a list for sightseeing, walks, events, food and drink and lots more. Unmissable places in Stirling: Wallace Monument and Stirling Castle. There is bowling at AMF Bowling, a cinema; Vue, a sports centre with swimming pool and climbing wall; The Peak and many clubs, farmers' markets, gigs etc. Close by is Falkirk, which holds the famous Falkirk Wheel and Callendar House as well as a go-karting place Xtreme Karting. Other attractions include the picturesque village of Culross, Blair Drummond Safari Park, the discount mall Sterling Mills, Knockhill Racing Circuit and many more. There is no excuse to be 'bored' in Stirling, there is tons to do and see. Clubs and SocietiesMany! There's a Freshers' Fair sometime in the first week so you can meander around, pick up some freebies and sign up for clubs. They range from political societies, who hold debates regularly, to the Chocolate Appreciation Society and the Rock Society. There is a complete list of all clubs and societies on the Student Association website, susaonline.org.uk, and if there isn't one to interest you it's pretty easy to found your own.
Composed almost entirely of very friendly people – Fred and Nix (President and VP) are very easy to talk to, the meetings tend to be banterful (this is a word you’ll hear a lot on campus) and until our nightclub closed (mutter mutter) the society was responsible for organising Rock Night, which has now moved to Oboru. The Rock Soc also organise discounted transport to gigs and nights out.
Stirling University’s Student Newspaper (shortlisted for the Herald Best Student Newspaper award, no less). Meetings are usually Mondays at 7pm, followed by drinks/pub quiz in Studio. First meeting will be an explanation of how everything works, then the editors will stand up and introduce themselves (News, Politics, Sports, Features, Music, Opinion and Arts). After Dale, our lovely editor, has finished his introduction, the eds stand up and you basically wander over to whichever section takes your fancy. You can go to more than one section, obviously The eds will then ask if you have any ideas or discuss theirs with you, and just plan out a rough idea. They’ll probably ask for your email address so’s they can keep in touch, and bingo! You know people already. Free to join!
Manga and Anime Society of Stirling University Meetings once a week, usually Thursday at 6:30 in a small lecture theater. Meetings vary…you could be watching live action Bleach one week and trying sake the next.
AccommodationAccommodation policyOvernight Guests The official policy is, if you want an overnight guest you need to sign them in (you'll be provided with a Hall Card soon after arrival) and they will pay £12 per night for a stay in one of the guest rooms or one of your friends who will be away that night will sign them into their room. That's the official policy. Don’t push your luck by sneaking people up too soon, and as long as you behave it doesn't seem the porters will mind too much. There is an official disciplinary procedure for unauthorised guests though, so please take that on board. There is no 'signing in' (where one of your on-campus friends wants to come in after 11 and you need to sign them in and they show their student card) during in exam periods and if someone makes a complaint about noise then, the porters have to take it v. seriously. FacilitiesThere are a number of laundry facilities available on campus. The main one that serves most of the residences is Polwarth Laundry, these are open to about 2am, ideal for late-night laundry. Alexander Court has the benefit of 24-hour laundry. To use the laundry machines, you have to put £4 into a machine which gives you a card to last 2 washes and 2 tumble dries. Some residences have pay by the use machines where it's £1.40 for a wash and 20p per 12mins of drying. They do not give change or take 5p peices. ResidencesFirst years are usually put into Halls. Each individual hall brings something different to the table, but all halls tend to be quite similar in some respects. All halls have cleaners in daily to empty the bins, and have nasty kitchens with teensy fridges, and all rooms are quite small. First year halls are AKD, ASH, Geddes and Murray, which have 24-hour porter cover; all other accommodation is flats or chalets which have mostly 9-to-5 porter cover. All residences are self-catering. Geddes Court Don't believe everything you here about 'the Ghetto'. Yes, someone lost an eye last year through duelling with broom handles, and they did have an STD outbreak, but lots of people have been through and survived (the editor of Brig, the student paper is always saying how great it is). This year, they have had more fire alarms than all other first year halls combined. The thing about Geddes is that because of its reputation, the kind of people who are attracted to it are the ones who sustain its reputation. It's good fun and there's always a party happening - student life at its best - and the people are really laid back. In terms of actual facilities, it's pretty much identical to AKD and Murray. But if you're lucky you'll get Wi-Fi in the kitchens. You're not meant to but hey, you're a student. The kitchens have bigger windows than other halls, though. Murray Hall Biggest first-year hall with around 300 students, best location as it's closest to the bridge across the loch. The ducks on the loch will wake you up! Hasn't been done up yet, but has the best porters - Jim, Kenny and Frank are legends. Kitchens of a low standard, sharing with up to 18 or so others isn't great, but it's really good fun and chances are you'll make your best friends there. If you're real lucky you'll get a room in the 2.33 to 2.40 range; these eight rooms are on the ground floor and have a kitchen and two showers between them which is the best ratio in the hall. There's a TV room with a huge video lending library, a couple of pool tables and foosball, social area and a computer room that you're free to use. Also some vending machines in the social area that can be handy if you run out of food and it's raining/you need to keep working. The West Wing was refurbished more recently than the East, and their desks run lengthways rather than widthways, making the room feel a bit smaller, but also giving better window access. They've also got better carpeting and are a bit cleaner, but the differences are minimal. AK Davidson Hall AKD is another first-year hall. Not as much of a party hall, but still brilliant banter and some of the best people you meet on nights out are from AKD. A bit smaller than Murray, right across the road from Geddes and the Medical Centre, it's a really good location and just sort of middle of the road facilities (not done up like ASH, but definitely nicer than Geddes or Murray). You get locks on kitchens, bigger kitchen space and cushy carpets. Andrew Stewart Hall These halls are en-suite, although theres a strange dripping noise when it rains (inside the walls) and big spacious kitchen. West wing most recently done up. Lovely porters, mostly. Girl to boy ratio is quite high, so the bitchiness level is there (I suppose boys don't mind slumming it in a shared shower). Quiet too. Cushty carpets and there is a lot more international students there i've found that anywhere else. These halls are most expensive, but most people think its worth the extra for your own bathroom. Alexander Court Affectionately referred to as Ally Court. Quite modern and smart, blocks of flats comprising of flats of up to 7 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, so the person to kitchen ratio is much better than in halls. These flats are now mostly used by 1st years as of 2009, but there are some 2nd, 3rd and 4th years about. Quite secluded, about a 15 minute walk from the Atrium and in a really pretty setting above the rugby pitches. Fraser, Donnelly, Muirhead and Polwarth These are flats which are usually taken up by returning students. Polwarth joins up with ASH when it comes to social activities. Most commonly 6-person flats, 2 bathrooms, one kitchen-living area, Dot the porter is great and will make the occasional sporadic room check to make sure the furniture isn't composting. Fraser flats are the most recent flats to be done up, with double glazing and modern furniture, these are mostly 5-person flats. Donnelly and Muirhead are mostly similar to Polwarth in that most flats are 6-person with 2 bathrooms. Union Street Development Flats in town for the returning students. Right next to Tesco for all your shopping needs is great, normally 4 or 6 people in each flat with two shower/toilets and a large kitchen. Most have their own phoneline so you can get the internet from who ever you want with out any problem with the uni's network. Not too far to walk from Dusk or Fubar. The walls between bedrooms, kitchen and bathrooms are very thin and the electric heaters are not brilliant. The electricty is also metred and will end up being your biggest expense. John Forty's Flats of 7 bedrooms, each flat a bit bigger than in the other complexes. You compromise with the location - it's on Causewayhead Road, so it's not really close to campus or town, but it's right on the bus route so realistically it's only about 5 mins to each, and it's walkable if you have the time and energy. It's quite modern, so the flats are nice, and they have living rooms (Union Street doesn't). However some flats do have a mould problem, which doesn't seem to be properly taken care of. Chalets The chalets are individual Scandinavian-style cottages with 5 bedrooms. They are at both the top of campus, right near the Pathfoot Building (Pendreich Way), and the bottom of campus, 2 minutes from Causewayhead Road (Spittal Hill). The Spittal Hill chalets are lots of fun, on a warm day everyone takes the furniture outside to sunbathe, barbeque and kick a ball around. It's all 2nd year students and above, and it's really relaxed and a lot more independent than any of the other flats. Chalets are very popular accommodation for people on sports teams. Student ID CardYour student ID card is also used as your library card, so when you access your library record, there is a number on the front of your card which you type in. It acts as student I.D. for the bus, the student union, and for claiming your lovely student discounts. Try not to lose it as it costs £10 to replace (as does your Hall card) so if you do it's not the end of the world, and you need it for the exams so the folks walking around can check you're who you say you are. EnvironmentCampus - we have ducklings, ducks, squirrels, bunnies, rabbits, swans and one noisy goose. There are maps of the campus in the recycling leaflets and visitors guides you can pick up in your hall reception, and I would recommend having a wander around to get your bearings and have a rough idea where everything is. The Cottrell building is a right bugger to find your way around, but you can ask, and when you wander you'll probably go past rooms you'll need to find in the future anyway. ArchitectureBased on a Norwegian prison. Yeah, the '60's was a crazy time for architecture. Local areaStirling is a medium-sized city in Central Scotland and has a wide range of shops, attractions, pubs and clubs. It is about an hour's drive from the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow and half an hour from the town of Falkirk. Teaching qualityExcellent teaching ratings for economics, sociology, theology, business studies, psychology and English show Stirling’s strength in the arts and social sciences. Among the sciences, only environmental science matched this. Private sectorThe Student Union... Facilities... Applying to StirlingThinking of applying to Stirling? Why not read some Personal Statements which were used for applying here. Other Stirling ArticlesWhy not read these other Stirling Articles? Links |
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